The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for filling drums and other containers which is conveniently transported from one location to another for on-site filling. In more detail, the present invention relates to a mobile drum filling apparatus, and a method of filling multiple drums in continuous, automated fashion using an apparatus, which is entirely self-contained such that the drums are conveniently filled at any location.
Low volume products which can be handled like a fluid, e.g., liquids and small pellets or the like which can be pumped, are typically loaded into containers such as 55 gallon drums using a flexible hose with a manual on-off valve that is held by an operator over a four drum platform scale for filling four drums on a pallet. The facility may be provided with an inlet and/or outlet conveyor and sometimes a tarp or other makeshift containment structure may be utilized, but as a rule, such operations are poorly equipped and labor intensive, and therefore costly. Further, because of the lack of vapor and liquid containment facilities, such operations are potentially dangerous to the immediate operator(s) and to the environment in general.
There is, therefore, a need for a drum filling apparatus which overcomes these limitations of cost and danger, and specifically, an apparatus that can be utilized for quickly and reliably filling such drums, and it is an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that is conveniently moved from one location to another to conduct drum filling operations at various sites as needed.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of filling containers such as drums utilizing such an apparatus.
Other objects, and the advantages, of the method and apparatus of the present invention will be made clear to those skilled in the art by the following description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof.
These objects are achieved by providing an apparatus for filling a container with a flowable material comprising a base with inlet and outlet conveyors mounted on the base. An elongate frame is mounted to the base and the frame includes means for performing the operations of (1) positioning the opening of a container for introducing a flowable material into the container, (2) introducing the flowable material into the container through the opening, and (3) closing the container having the flowable material therein, and each of these three operations is performed at a different station on the frame. The frame is also provided with means for moving the container from one station on the frame to another and means for moving the container to be filled onto and off of the frame. In a preferred embodiment described herein, the base is mounted to a vehicle so that it is conveniently moved from one location to another. To facilitate the mobility of the filling apparatus of the present invention, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the inlet and outlet conveyors are positioned at angles to the frame and the angles are approximately right angles. The positioning of the inlet and outlet conveyors at right angles to the frame allows the base of the filling apparatus to be mounted to a vehicle of relatively small size and, therefore, increased mobility.